on swiss chard

swiss chard, the champion of leafy greens makes into everything lately; i can't resist the rainbow stuff that's all over the market the last 2 weeks. i know people sometimes grow it along side their zinnias, which is an idea that I should like, but don't. you got to keep that shit separate!

perhaps my favorite chard fix is to sautee it with a lot of garlic and olive oil, then mix it with rigattoni and fresh ricotta. this simple combination introduced to me by russell years ago and which has been in my repertoire ever since.

same garlicky chard over bruchetta with or without the ricotta.
chard on a grilled pizza with goat cheese, mozz and an inordinate amount of red pepper flakes.
chard in frittatas.

incidently it's been a summer of frittatas around chez saipua, here we refer to them as "tatties" and they have served as an last ditch dumping ground for anything in the crisper. thinly sliced potatoes, jalepenos, garlic scapes and a big grating of all the cheese bits littering the top shelf. the frittata has saved many things from damnation to the compost bucket.

the key to a good tattie is the 10inch cast iron skillet, fearlessness with butter, and the tolerance to use the stovetop and broiler in 90degree heat. be brave and be rewarded.

1. lots of butter and a bit of olive oil, vegetables - saute
2. 4-6 eggs beaten lightly right in there after the vegetables are mostly cooked
3. 3 min later, just when the edges are set, throw in the cheese turn off the heat and turn on the broiler.
4. under the broiler just till completely set and golden in spots

perhaps this method is standard for all you suzy homemakers, but i write it down here for those of you, who like me, have been burning the shit out of eggs for years.
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